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Integrated message display system for a vehicle

1. ECU and the engine retarder ECU The ACC software executing on the CWS ECU uses the collision warning sensors to track targets and send messages to other ECUS to reduce vehicle speed when a target is too close to the truck For example in the current implementation based on the EVT 300 collision warning system from Eaton VORAD technologies the CWS ECU maintains a constant headway with a lead vehicle by sending messages to 1 control the throttle 2 invoke the engine brake and 3 downshift the transmission Depending on the circumstances the CWS ECU sends messages to the engine ECU to defuel the engine via the speed torque limit override mode of the J1939 standard It may also send messages to the engine brake to retard the engine via the torque control override mode of the J1939 standard Finally it may send a message to the transmission ECU to downshift the transmission according to the J1939 standard The CWS ECU communicates ACC related information to the ICU via either discrete wiring a data link or some combination of discrete wiring and a data link In the implementation based on the EVT 300 collision warning system the CWS ECU communicates instructions for visual messages to the ICU via the J1708 data link and sends control signals for auditory warnings directly to the ICU speakers via discrete wiring In an alternative implementa tion based on the ADC adaptive cruise control system the CWS ECU communicates control messages fo
2. In response to this event data logging unit 116 in the system persistently stores performance and ECU fault data from the data link occurring during a time period starting a predeter mined time before and after the event For more information on this data logging function see U S Pat No 5 802 545 which is hereby incorporated by reference Finally the keypad includes an acknowledgment key 420 When the ICU generates a warning message the driver can use the acknowledgment key to indicate that he she acknowledges the warning The ICU responds differently to this key depending on the type and state of the warning condition as explained in more detail below General Vehicle Operating Information and Message Prioritization During normal operation of the truck the ICU displays vehicle operating information including a bar graph illus trating the rate of change of fuel economy and the short term average fuel economy and an odometer reading For more information see U S Pat No 5 693 876 and co pending patent application Ser No 08 982 117 entitled Fuel Use Efficiency System For A Vehicle For Assisting The Driver To Improve Fuel Economy which are hereby incorporated by reference The driver can directly access other information via the trip fuel leg and temp input keys as explained above In addition the ICU displays a variety of priority over write screens that override the normal operating screens when certain
3. failure warnings and danger ahead warnings FIG 12 illustrates examples of the ACC related indicator lights and these display screens The ICU displays function set messages in response to input from the driver setting parameters relating to adaptive cruise control When the driver enters the set speed using the SET RESUME switch the ICU displays a screen 1200 with a text message indicating that radar cruise is active the value of the set speed and the time headway as shown in FIG 12 Also when the driver sets the headway via the headway switch on the dash the message center displays a screen 1202 showing the time headway setting The terms min and max are the lower and upper limits of a bar graph display graphically depicting time headway As the driver increments or decrements the current value of the headway the message center displays the current value of the head way The ACC system uses the ICU s indicator lights to show changes in its status When the driver activates the adaptive cruise control system the ICU illuminates the radar cruise indicator light 1204 While in adaptive cruise control mode the ICU illuminates a DETECT indicator light 1206 when the collision warning system is tracking a vehicle The message center displays a warning screen 1208 in FIG 12 when the radar system fails In addition the ICU illuminates a radar fail indicator light 1210 While the adaptive cruise control system is active t
4. message below that of the function set messages e g messages 6 21 in FIG 10 and the collision warning mes sages e g messages 1 5 in FIG 10 Integration of Transmission Display into the Message Center The ICU integrates the transmission display into the message center One particularly advantageous feature of the ICU is the ability to provide a standard interface for a variety of transmission types such as automated mechanical transmissions automatic transmissions and mechanical 1 manual transmissions The message center displays the current gear of the vehicle and for some transmission systems the driving mode of the transmission e g auto matic or manual mode for an automated mechanical transmission The message center may also display indica tors e g up down arrows to prompt the driver to shift for better fuel economy In addition to visual information the ICU provides audi tory information as well The ICU generates an auditory warning to indicate to the driver that an inappropriate gear has been selected In the case of both visual and auditory information the transmission ECU communicates instructions for this infor mation to the ICU via the J1708 link according to the J1587 standard FIG 13 illustrates examples of display screens 1300 1302 that display transmission information in the current implementation In providing this display information the ICU works in conjunction with the transmission I
5. 11 1998 12 1999 2 2000 2 2000 Augello et al 364 444 Baatz et al 340 825 06 Murata 364 424 01 Stephens a 364 442 Nakadozono 340 870 16 Gulick 73 114 Purnell et al 364 424 04 Adachi et al 364 426 04 Madau 340 461 Ebaugh et al 2 364 550 Austin 340 462 Kohsaka 5 Ginzel et al 8 Briski et al 340 525 Kuhn 340 435 Ishikawa et al 9 Murphy et al 340 825 17 Przybyla et al 8 Kurahashi et al 180 169 Ishida et al 364 461 Tang et al 2 364 565 Byon 340 903 Yagihashi 9 Chakraborty 340 903 Putt et al 364 481 Doyle 1 Ghitea Jr et al 73 114 Taniguchi et al 364 426 044 Katoh 2 364 461 Toffolo et al 41 Nojima et al 1 Arai et al 340 903 Coverdill 711 35 Chakraborty et al 180 169 Obradovich et al wee 701 1 Lane et al 340 933 Crosby 342 701 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Detroit Diesel ProDriver Flyer 1994 Appendix C Electronic Dash Display Feb 2 1996 McGehee Dingus and Horowitz An Experimental Field Test of Automotive Headway Maintenance Collision Warn ing Visual Displays Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 38 Annual Meeting 19
6. 488 1 1 140 5 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 1 AAAAAAAA ALERT HDWY RANGE 1219 226 6 48 8 1 1 1406 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 9 gt TALERT HDWY RANGE 21922664881 11407 CHKSUM 1587 PRIORITY 2 MAX gt po rp f j oh PRIORITY2 ES PEST PRIORITY Es ETALERT HDWY RANGE 219226648811 1408 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MIN TlimNKETLLLI BN ALERT HDWY RA 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 1409 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 lt TIT 0 SET ALERT HDWY RANGE 219 226648811140 10 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 11 MAYO iW ALERT HDWY RANGE 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 11 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MIN MAX gt aii ALERT HDWY RANGE 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 12 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 13 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 lt MIN SETALERT VOLUME 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 14 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 PENING AT MINIMUM INCREMENT 0 MY io yr INCREMENTS ot 5 Nag ALERT VOLUME 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 15 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MN MAX gt SETTING AT INCREMENT 1 SET ALERT VOLUME 2192266 48 8 1 1 140 16 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MN SETTING AT INCREMENT 2 SET ALERT VOLUME 21922664881114017 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MN MAX SETTING AT INCREMENT 3 SET ALERT VOLUME 21922664881114018 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 MN
7. 65 10 the acknowledgement key The repeat time of the message is a pre determined parameter in the ICU that controls when the message center repeats the unacknowledged state For level two conditions the message center initially generates a flashing and beeping warning message as reflected by the graphic 600 at the top of FIG 6 and transitions to three other states before repeating On the first line of the display the message center displays the word WARNING along with a symbol of the acknowledgement key On the second line the message center displays descrip tive text associated with the level two condition such as LOW OIL PRESSURE as shown in FIG 6 In response to a first press of the acknowledgement key 602 the message center transitions to a first acknowl edged state shown as a rectangular box 604 on the right side of FIG 6 The message center remains in this state for a pre determined delay period e g 3 5 seconds and then transitions to a second state shown in the rectangular box 606 at the bottom of FIG 6 The only difference between the first and second states is the presence of the graphical symbol 608 indicating that the acknowledgement key is active This symbol informs the driver that pressing the acknowledgement key another time will remove the mes sage from the display In response to the driver pressing the acknowledgement key 610 a second time the message center reverts to the driver selectab
8. Between Microcomputer Systems in Heavy Duty Vehicle Applica tions 1988 01 cited by examiner US 6 289 332 B2 Sheet 1 of 9 Sep 11 2001 U S Patent ooooooooooo 96 Zz 00 9 NOILLIVLN3W H LSNI ye du 0 LT TS3HOIIMS 123 3NION3 N03 vua 3NIDN3 AV 14510 byl HOSN3S 305 HOSN3S 85 HOSN3S pp lOuLNOO OS L41HS n93 n23 JjAXvudg 490 LLNV NOISSINSNVu L 193 NOISITIOO 901 GLL Old U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 2 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 220 222 DISPLAY KEYPAD DEVICE MEMORY 0 ROM b RAM EEPROM PORT 214 INTERFACE 7t US 6 289 332 B2 Sheet 3 of 9 Sep 11 2001 U S Patent TSE P Ten sa ww civ 90r cor Ocv Sls U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 4 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 FIG 5 LEVEL 1 DANGER 4 7900 DANGER STOP ENGINE QUICKLY m10 506 A DANGER STOP ENGINE QUICKLY LEVEL 2 WARNING 600 a WARNING LOW OIL PRESSURE wi N MESSAGE 602 REPEAT TIME FIG 6 f d DRIVER SELECTABLE DEFAULT SCREEN mi0 LOW OIL PRESSURE 606 J 628 S 610 3 SECOND L WARNING 2 DELAY LOW OIL PRESSURE mi U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 5 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 FIG 7 LEVEL 3 CAUTION 700 CAUTION ive TUR
9. MAX SETTING AT INCREMENT 4 MIN CLLLLENEI MAX MIN MAX MIN lt co J1587 PRIORITY 2 SET ALERT VOLUME 219 226 6 488 1 1 140 19 CHKSUM SETTING AT INCREMENT 5 lt SET ALERT VOLUME 219 226 6 488 1 1 140 20 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 lt SETTING AT INCREMENT 6 1587 PRIORITY 2 PH ALERT VOLUME i 219 226 6 488 1 1 140 21 CHKSUM SETTING AT INCREMENT 7 2 HEADWAY DATA ONLY 2192268480216 db eee CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 2 71587 PRIORITY DRAINING DATA 219 226 6 488 1 114023 CHKSUM 1 IDENT RECONSTRUCT CONFIRMATION SCREEN 11587 PRIORITY 2 DANING DAYA 219 228648811 140 24 CHKSUM DENT RECONSTRUCT DATA SAVE FAILURE US 6 289 332 B2 Sheet 8 of 9 Sep 11 2001 U S Patent 3ONVHO HO D MO 13S H3AIHG 199135 LAS HSNd MOHUV ANV 5 MOHUV 5 VOLL SA3M LAS HSNd S3 Z 9SvrgcCI 511991735 N3 1S VJ 3SNVHO HO 135 L 199135 OOLL LL Sls U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 9 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 FIG 12 1204 e 1218 EA E erect RUISE CRUISE SET TO 55MPH 1216 HEADWAY SET TO 3 05 RADAR CRUISE OFF 1200 RADAR HEADWAY SET MIN 14202 1208 RADAR d FAIL 1210 1212 DANGER AHEAD og R AHEAD SET 65 DRIVER SELECTABLE 1902 DEFAULT ALERT 49Sk 1308 13101906 US 6 289 332 B2 1 INTEGRATED MESSAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE RELATED AP
10. OTHER PUBLICATIONS patent term provisions of 35 U S C 154 a 2 Sayer First Committee Draft of SAE J2399 pp 1 16 Sep 9 1998 Subject to any disclaimer the term of this CELECT RoadRelay User s Guide Cadec Systems patent is extended or adjusted under 35 Inc Londonderry NH pp 1 32 1993 U S C 154 b by 0 days List continued on next page 21 Appl No 09 272 878 Primary Examiner NWilliam A Cuchlinski Jr 22 Filed Mar 18 1999 Assistant Examiner Ronnie Mancho 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Klarquist Sparkman Related U S Application Data Campbell Leigh amp Whinston LLP 60 Provisional application No 60 122 167 filed on Feb 26 1999 57 ABSTRACT 51 sen G05D 1 00 GOGF 7 00 an integrated me wie system Tor d vehicle provides Gs GOGF 17 00 GOGF 19 00 prioritized message this 6 the message system acts as a centralized message provider 2 for variety of alerts and operating data originating through 52 707 1 701 29 701 30 8 701 31 701 33 701 36 340 435 340 438 out the vehicle The message system defines a hierarchy of 340 439 340 440 3 40 441 340 903 180 167 message levels each having a unique output protocol The 180 169 342 69 342 70 342 72 protocol defines attributes associated with messages at a 58 Field of Search i 701 29 30 particular level such as textual or graphical message an 701 31 33 36 340 903 435
11. may also use the J1939 data link to connect the ICU with other ECUs The J1708 data link is comprised of a twisted pair cable operating at 9600 baud The data link forms a communica tion channel among the electronic control units coupled to it Electronic control units generate a digital signal on the data link by applying a voltage differential between the two wires in the cable A voltage differential above a specified thresh old represents a logic high value while a voltage threshold below a specified threshold represents a logic low value This type of data link is particularly advantageous for hostile environments because the signal is more robust and imper vious to signal degradation The ECUs connected on the network communicate with each other according to protocols defined in SAE J1708 and SAE J1587 The SAE J1587 standard is entitled Joint SAE TMC Electronic Data Interchange Between Micro computer Systems and Heavy Duty Vehicle Applications This standard defines one format for data and messages 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 communicated among microprocessors connected to a shared data link and is specifically adapted for use with SAE J1708 According to SAE J1708 J1587 the ECUs on the data link communicate by passing messages to each other The ECUs can be either receivers or receivers and transmitters In this particular implementation the instrumentation con trol unit
12. monitors the operation of the engine Like the other ECUs the engine ECU includes a programmed data processor and memory for storing computer programs and data The data processor executes routines stored in the memory to control and monitor engine performance The engine ECU also includes a variety of sensors and controls used to monitor and control the engine One impor tant function of the engine ECU is the control of the throttle The engine ECU controls the fuel rate by issuing control signals to a fuel injector that controls the flow of fuel to the engine s cylinders The ECU includes several sensors that monitor vehicle operating data including a speed sensor an RPM sensor a throttle position sensor and a cruise status sensor Some vehicle operating parameters are computed from measured data For example the engine torque is computed using a mathematical formula that expresses engine torque as a function of measured parameters including fuel rate and turbo boost pressure The engine ECU determines the amount of fuel supplied to the cylinders in the engine by controlling the solenoid valves that inject fuel to the engine cylinders The rate of 10 15 20 25 35 45 50 55 60 65 4 fuel flow is directly related to the amount of time that the solenoid valve is closed This time period determines the volume of fuel injected into a cylinder per revolution By determining the amount of time that the solenoid va
13. sends a PID 507 message Driver Identification over the SAE J1708 1587 data link to indicate what driver is active Driver 1 or Driver 2 as soon as the driver acknowledges the ICU screen prompt per the following message formats Driver 1 MID PID n ASCII ASCII 140 507 2 49 42 Cksum 0 Note that PID 507 is sent as two consecutive bytes 255 followed by 251 US 6 289 332 B2 Driver 2 MID PID n ASCII ASCII 140 507 2 50 42 Cksum Q Again note that PID 507 is sent as two consecutive bytes 255 followed by 251 The message will be available from the ICU also upon request per the following message format Request MID PID a b 219 384 251 140 Cksum Note that PID 384 is sent as two consecutive bytes 255 followed by 128 Integration of Adaptive Cruise Control into the Message Center The driver interface for adaptive cruise control is inte grated into the ICU and its message center In the current implementation the driver interface for the ACC system includes the ICU s message center and indicator lights as well as input switches on the dash The ICU integrates ACC related information and warnings into the message center and also controls ACC related indicator lights When the driver enters ACC input via dash switches the ICU displays visual feedback to the driver via alphanumeric messages on the display screen The ACC system includes the CWS ECU the ICU the engine ECU the transmission ECU the anti lock brake
14. such as infra red sensors Side sensors 142 located on the side of the truck detect vehicles in the driver s blind spots In response to detecting an object via the side sensor the CWS generates a warning indicator on the side sensor display 144 In addition to providing collision warnings the CWS ECU 108 operates in conjunction with the engine ECU 102 US 6 289 332 B2 5 anti lock brake ECU 106 and engine brake ECU 110 to provide Adaptive Cruise Control ACC Adaptive cruise control is an application of the collision detection system that uses data detected from the front sensor to maintain headway 1 9 the following distance between the truck and the vehicle in front of it The ACC system adjusts the vehicle s speed from the set speed established for cruise control to maintain a safe following distance from a slower vehicle To control vehicle speed the ACC system sends control messages via the J1939 data link to 1 the engine ECU for throttle control 2 the engine brake to actuate engine retarder braking 3 the anti lock brake system to initiate automatic braking and 4 the transmission control to downshift the transmission When the slower vehicle increases its speed or changes lanes the ACC resumes the speed to return to the desired set speed For more informa tion on adaptive cruise control see U S Pat No 5 839 534 entitled System and Method for Intelligent Cruise Control Using Standard Engine Control Modes
15. systems In one implementation the message center is used to display trans mission information for an automated mechanical transmis sion The driver controls the transmission via a shift lever that enables the driver to select a gear by actuating the lever and also allows the driver to select the driving mode via a switch on the stalk of the lever In this particular 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 24 implementation the message center displays the current gear at all times in which the automatic shifting mode is selected The message center displays the current gear in manual shifting mode until the driver selects a new gear through actuation of the shift lever The new gear may be flashed for a pre determined time period e g 500 msec intervals until the shift is completed For normal up or down shifting the transmission display will not appear to shift to the driver because one cycle of the flash interval corresponds roughly to the average time that the automated mechanical transmission system takes to complete a shift When a driver makes a shift request for activation of the shift lever the message center only displays the selected gear if it is currently available The message center informs the driver that the selected gear has been engaged by ceasing the flashing of the selected gear When a driver selects a gear or mode that is unavailable via the shift lever the ICU generates an auditor
16. 0 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 26 with a different visual display protocol and a different corresponding auditory signal wherein each level of prioritized message is associated with a different auditory tone indicating relative impor tance of the level relative to the other levels of mes sages and wherein each level is associated with a different number of beeping tones indicating relative importance of the level relative to the other levels 9 The system of claim 1 wherein each level is associated with a different visual coding for flashing the corresponding visual display to indicate relative importance of the level relative to other levels 10 An integrated message system for a vehicle compris ing two or more electronic control units detecting vehicle operating conditions requiring action an instrumentation control unit in communication with the one or more electronic control units the instrumen tation control unit including a visual display for dis playing displayable vehicle messages and an audio transducer for generating auditory signals a collision warning electronic control unit wherein the collision warning electronic control unit communicates collision detection events to the instrumentation control unit and the collision detection events are associated with the different levels of prioritized messages over riding the default screen depending on relative impor tance of each collision detection eve
17. 100 is both a transmitter and receiver The engine ECU acts as both a transmitter and receiver as well As a transmitter it sends messages to the ICU regarding road speed fuel rate engine torque RPM throttle position engine status etc It receives messages regarding cruise control functions In the J1587 format a message includes the following 1 a module ID MID 2 one or more parameters and 3 a checksum The number of parameters in a message is limited by the total message length defined in the SAE J1708 standard The message identification numbers are assigned to transmitter categories as identified in SAE J1587 The MID portion of a message specifies the origin or transmitter of the message In the majority of cases messages are broadcast on the data link without specifying a receiver However the message format can be extended to include the MID of a receiver after the MID of the transmitter for special applications The messages passed among the ECUs convey informa tion about one or more parameters contained within the messages According to the SAE J1587 standard the first character of every parameter is a parameter identification character PID The parameter identified by the PID directly follows the PID The SAE J1587 supports different data formats including a single character a double data character or more than two data characters representing the parameter data Several parameters can be packed into a message lim
18. 34 stage distance alert 314 stage None 1 short tone for each change increment at the new volume level all auditory output 1 short tone for each Vio second change in range setting M C tones for warning none See tone No 3 Table 3A See tone No 2 Table 3A See tone No 1 Table 3A light on switch illuminates when system is on M C NOTE if card is not inserted M C display RADAR VOL 7546 displayed for 7 seconds after each change n a M C display MAX RADAR RANGE 2 5 SECONDS gives current maximum range setting based on following distance TELLTALE RADAR FAIL red M C message WARNING RADAR SYSTEM FAILURE n a very small triangle on default screen of M C and or detect indicator light DANGER AHEAD small triangle figure below DANGER AHEAD medium triangle figure below DANGER AHEAD Rocker switch Rocker switch default setting 3 4 maximum volume adjusted by volume control Rocker switch dash or steering wheel default setting at maximum range System check sensor performed every 15 seconds during normal operation Message Center is automatically dimmed object detected within 350 feet 3 second sensor 2 second sensor 1 second sensor US 6 289 332 B2 15 TABLE 4 continued Integrated Format 16 Display Feature Auditory Visual distance alert large triangle figure below DANGER AHEAD large triangle figure below DANGER AHE
19. 439 440 auditory alert as well as the scheme for playing these 441 438 180 169 167 3 42 70 72 60 messages and alerts The system integrates a variety of I d subsystems that conventionally have separate driver inter 56 References Cited faces such as a collision warning system and an adaptive U S PATENT DOCUMENTS cruise control system 3 665 383 5 1972 Fales 340 52 F 22 Claims 9 Drawing Sheets NE BRAKE 110 EN CU pn F FRONT 7140 SENSOR COLLISION SIDE WARNING ACC SENSOR ECU SENSOR 144 DISPLAY 102 104 106 ANTI LOCK ENGINE TRANSMISSION ECU ECU BRAKE US 6 289 332 B2 Page 2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 663 718 4 706 083 4 787 039 4 845 630 5 121 112 5 148 702 5 173 856 5 189 619 5 241 295 5 303 163 5 309 139 5 327 117 5 347 260 5 432 497 5 457 439 5 463 370 5 510 776 5 525 959 5 529 139 5 572 428 5 572 449 5 646 612 5 648 755 5 659 304 5 661 658 5 678 196 5 693 876 5 731 977 5 748 477 5 757 268 5 764 139 5 771 007 5 802 545 5 839 534 6 009 355 6 025 789 6 025 796 5 1987 11 1987 11 1988 7 1989 6 1992 9 1992 12 1992 2 1993 8 1993 4 1994 5 1994 7 1994 9 1994 7 1995 10 1995 10 1995 4 1996 6 1996 6 1996 11 1996 11 1996 7 1997 7 1997 8 1997 8 1997 10 1997 12 1997 3 1998 5 1998 5 1998 6 1998 6 1998 9 1998
20. 94 pp 1099 1103 Braun Sansing and Silver The Interaction of Signal Word and Color on Warning Labels Differences in Perceived Hazard Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonom ics Society 38 Annual Meeting 1994 pp 831 835 Operational Testing of Adaptive Cruise Control Automo tive Engineering International Sep 1998 pp 63 71 Clarke Peter Adaptive Cruise Control is About to Take a Spin Systems and Software Electronic Engineering Times Oct 26 1998 EVT 300 Collision Warning System amp SmartCruise Eaton VORAD Specification Sheet 1998 EVT 300 Technical Highlights Eaton VORAD Speci fication Sheet Collision Warning System 1998 Radar Based Adaptive Cruise Control for Trucks Truck Engineering Automotive Engineering International Nov 1998 pp 130 132 Appendix C Standard Protocol pp 12 19 Braun Curt C Lori Sansing Robert Kennedy N Clayton Silver Signal Word and Color Specifications for Product Warnings An Isoperformance Application Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 38 Annual Meeting 1994 pp 1104 1108 Detroit Diesel ProDriver User s Manual Detroit Die sel Corporation 1994 Operating amp Error Codes Fuel Tach DBF amp DB 2 for Electronic Engines Series 925 205 FloScan Instrument Company Inc Caterpillar Owner s Manual Caterpillar Driver Informa tion Display Feb 1995 Joint SAE TMC Electronic Data Interchange
21. AD large triangle figure below CREEP ALERT row of small triangles figure below Stationary object See tone No 1 Table 3A Slow moving object See tone No 1 Table 3A Creep alarm See tone No 2 Table 3A No vehicle detected none in blind spot Vehicle detected in blind spot See tone No 0 Table 3A yellow light on dash display red light on dash display Control Sensing Unit Should be set for a distance appropriate to speed of vehicle to reduce false alarms Should be set for a distance appropriate to speed of vehicle to reduce false alarms Vehicle speed 2 mph amp object less than 15 feet ahead Stays on when no vehicle is detected by the blind spot sensor Activated when objects are detected by the blind spot sensor As explained above the message center integrates mes sages from a variety of different vehicle systems using a prioritization scheme It also uses a prioritization scheme to integrate the messages from the collision warning system In the current implementation the priority rules for integrating collision warning messages are as follows The warning messages for a stationary object slow moving object and the shortest monitored following distance one second are assigned the highest priority and override level 1 danger alerts As such the immediate external threat takes prece dence over in vehicle dangers The level 1 danger alerts have the next highest priority and override colli
22. CU The transmission ECU receives instructions for shifting the transmission and selecting the driving mode from a shift lever in the vehicle For more information on the operation of the shift lever see co pending application entitled Lever Assembly for an Electronically Controllable Vehicle Transmission which is incorporated by reference above As illustrated in display screen 1300 shown in FIG 13 the message center displays at least three characters e g 1304 1306 1308 that are related to the transmission display At least one character 1306 displays the current gear Another character 1308 displays the driving mode of the transmission Another character 1304 may be used to sepa rate the transmission display from other messages Since the message center always provides a transmission display it indicates the characters relating to the transmission display along with whatever else is currently displayed which is either the driver s selectable default screen or an alert screen The second display screen 1302 shown in FIG 13 illustrates the case where at least one character 1310 display an up or down arrow to prompt the driver to shift to improve fuel economy In this case the arrow character also functions to separate the transmission information from other infor mation that is currently presented on the same line of the display As noted above the ICU can provide visual and auditory information for a variety of transmission
23. ECU on the data link will continue to attempt to send a message until it is successfully broadcast to the data link The Instrumentation Control Unit FIG 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the architecture of the ICU 200 shown in FIG 1 The ICU has US 6 289 332 B2 7 a CPU 202 memory 204 and a port interface 206 for connecting the unit to the J1708 data link 208 The memory 204 includes programmable ROM EEPROM 210 RAM 212 and permanent ROM 214 The routines for controlling the ICU are stored in ROM 210 while re configurable data is stored in the EEPROM 214 In one specific implementation the ICU has a 68HC16 microprocessor from Motorola Corporation and its memory configuration 204 includes EEPROM ROM and RAM This specific ICU has 8 KB of external EEPROM 500K of ROM and 64K of RAM The internal memory of the ICU includes 1 Mbyte of RAM and 1 Mbyte of ROM These specifications are unique to the implementation but will vary from one implementation to the next A variety of microprocessors and memory systems can be used to imple ment the functionality of the instrumentation control unit Preferably the processor used in the ICU should have at least a 16 bit microprocessor The speed of the processor can vary but should be sufficient to manage the message center functions described below within a 200 ms time increment The ICU also includes an input device 220 and a display device 222 In the current implementati
24. ING Number Length tones Frequency ON OFF LEVEL of tones msec msec oftones msec msec DANGER 7 200 14 560 840 400 200 WARNING 4 200 70 560 840 400 350 CAUTION 2 200 140 560 840 400 500 NOTE 1 300 n a 450 n a n a MESSAGE 1 300 n a 250 n a n a A message from the ICU transitions through a series of states including unacknowledged and acknowledged In particular the message center initially generates a message the message is in an unacknowledged state meaning that the ICU is seeking a confirmation from the driver that he she is aware of it To get the driver s attention the ICU emphasizes the significance of the message by flashing the text on the display and accompanying the message with audible tones When the driver presses the acknowledgment key the message center transitions to an acknowledged state A text message remains on the dis play until the driver has an opportunity to read and acknowl edge it a second time by pressing the acknowledge key again The ICU is programmed so that the minimum time between the first and second acknowledgement is long enough e g 3 5 five seconds to prevent the driver from removing the message by pressing the acknowledgement key rapidly in succession e g a quick double click of the key During this time the acknowledgement key is essen tially deactivated to prevent the driver from erasing a message without reading it When the acknowledgment key becomes active the message cent
25. N SIGNAL ON miO MESSAGE REPEAT TIME N 706 712 AUTION TURN SIGNAL ON m10 708 J EX 3 SECOND C CAUTION DELAY TURN SIGNAL ON mi FIG 8 LEVEL 4 NOTE 800 a NOTE LOW WIPER FLUID m10 MESSAGE E REPEAT IL 3 SECOND 802 DELAY 808 804 DRIVER SELECTABLE NOTE DEFAULT inm 806 LOW WIPER FLUID U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 6 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 FIG 9 FIRST STAGE DISTANCE ALERT DANGER AHEAD 900 SECOND STAGE DISTANCE ALERT DANGER a 902 THIRD STAGE DISTANCE ALERT S tote orate eee toe tete tt often ae eae o ete oo a ee og Moe PM thee ettet 33 454 ge TOON 6 DETECT LIGHT 914 P 2 5 7 MPG x 0094376 MI CREEP ALERT MOVING SLOW N N AN LE N AN LN EN 910 908 U S Patent Sep 11 2001 Sheet 7 of 9 US 6 289 332 B2 10 ESSAGE DISPLAY MESSAGE DATA BUS MESSAGE COMMENT 1 DANGER L AHEAD 2192266488 11 140 1 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 1 DANGER AHEAD 21922664881 1 1402 CHKSUM 21887 PRIORITY 1 DANGER AHEAD 21922864881 1 403 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 1 NO DISPLAY MESSAGE RADAR DETECT LIGHT ON 219 226 6 488 1 1 140 4 CHKSUM J1587 PRIORITY 1 V lt qo n cn EHICLE MOVING SLOW 219 226 6
26. PLICATION DATA This application claims priority to co pending U S patent application Ser No 60 122 167 filed Feb 26 1999 entitled Integrated Message Display System for a Vehicle by Paul Menig Richard Bishel Nick Ghitea Chris Kim Jared Powell and Peter C Brandt which is hereby incor porated by reference TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to audio visual message displays for vehicles that provide operating diagnostic and warning information to the driver BACKGROUND Over the past several years a variety of vehicle electron ics products have been developed to assist drivers and provide vehicle operating trip and diagnostic information This is particularly true in long haul trucks where a number of options are available such as collision warning systems adaptive cruise control and wireless communication sys tems Some collision warning systems use radar to apprise the driver of collision dangers Adaptive cruise control is an advanced feature of collision warning systems that uses radar and the vehicle s cruise control system to maintain a desired following distance called headway In addition to these new electronics products existing components now typically include electronic controls that can provide addi tional vehicle diagnostic and operating data While these electronic products can provide useful infor mation to the driver they can also overload the driver with information Even with caref
27. United States Patent US006289332B2 12 10 Patent No US 6 289 332 B2 Menig et al 45 Date of Patent Sep 11 2001 54 INTEGRATED MESSAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM 3 798 596 3 1974 Sumiyoshi et al 340 52 F FOR A VEHICLE 3 852 712 12 1974 Hynes 340 52 F 3 987 439 10 1976 Spaniola 340 413 75 Inventors Paul M Menig Tigard Richard A 4 053 868 10 1977 Cox et al 340 52 F Bishel Beaverton both of OR US d Diod pice os ua Goetz Renner Esslingen DE Nicolae 4258401 3 i 3 2558 1981 Juhasz et al 364 424 Ghitea Jr Tigard OR US Chris 4287503 9 1981 Sumida 340 52 F Kirn Jared A Powell both of 4 356 470 10 1982 et al 340 52 F Portland OR US Peter Charles 4 400 779 8 1983 Kosuge et al 364 444 Brandt Lake Oswego OR US 4 475 380 10 1984 Colovas et al 73 114 4 502 124 2 1985 Grohmann et al 364 442 73 Assignee Freightliner Corporation Portland 4 533 962 8 1985 Decker et al 360 5 OR US 4 564 905 1 1986 Masuda et al 364 424 4 570 226 2 1986 Aussedat 364 442 Notice This patent issued on a continued pros ecution application filed under 37 CFR List continued on next page 1 53 d and is subject to the twenty year
28. ading 7 The system of claim 1 wherein each level of prioritized message is associated with a different auditory tone indicat ing relative importance of the level relative to the other levels of messages 8 An integrated message system for a vehicle comprising two or more electronic control units an instrumentation control unit in communication with the one or more electronic control units the instrumen tation control unit including a visual display for dis playing displayable vehicle messages and an audio transducer for generating auditory signals wherein the instrumentation control unit displays a default screen and selectively overrides the default screen with prioritized displayable vehicle messages in response to predetermined events detected in the electronic control units wherein the displayable vehicle messages indicate vehicle operating conditions requiring action provide alerts for the vehicle operating conditions without user intervention and are associated with the predetermined events detected in the electronic control units wherein the prioritized displayable vehicle messages overriding the default screen are organized into levels of importance such that displayable vehicle messages from a more important level override displayable vehicle messages from a less important level a more important level indicates a more serious condition of the vehicle and each level of importance is associated 15 20 25 3
29. age center act as the driver interface for the collision warning system When the CWS detects a collision warning condition it communicates the condition to the ICU which in turn generates the appropriate message from the message center which typically includes a visual and an accompanying auditory warning According to human factors studies auditory signals are the most domi nant source of information to the driver Therefore the auditory warnings associated with each collision warning condition are selected to ensure that they are not confused with other sounds in the vehicle or masked by other sounds In addition for quick and accurate interpretation of visual signals the message center provides the visual warnings associated with each warning condition in the driver s line 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 of sight see for example the position of the display on the dash in FIG 3 FIG 9 is diagram illustrating an implementation of the visual indicators for the collision warning system integrated into the message center The current implementation of the message center displays five different visual indicators 900 908 As the closing distance between the truck and the vehicle in front of it decreases the message center displays progressively stronger visual warnings and generates corre sponding auditory warnings For example the top three visual indicators 900 904 shown in FIG 9
30. e 344 of the ICU is a keypad including dedicated and general purpose function keys Alternative implementations and configura tions of the input device are also possible FIG 4 is a diagram of one implementation of the keypad The keypad includes a number of keys to enable the driver to query the ICU for information and to control its operation The keypad of FIG 4 includes the following dedicated keys 1 Temperature 402 2 Fuel 404 3 Trip Miles hours and fuel 406 4 Leg Miles hours and fuel 408 The dedicated keys are used to request specific informa tion such as the current outside air temperature temperature 402 fuel efficiency information 404 e g fuel used in 10 15 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 gallons and average MPG etc The trip and leg keys 406 408 are used to display the miles traveled elapsed hours and fuel consumed for a trip or a leg of a trip The keypad also includes the following general purpose keys 1 Left Arrow Key 410 2 Down Arrow Key 412 3 Right Arrow Key 414 4 Set Reset Key 416 5 Event Key 418 These keys can be used to scroll through message screens on the display enter data clear messages etc For example these keys can be used to enter configuration data such as the volume object detection range for collision warnings and the set speed and headway for adaptive cruise control The event key enables the driver to log an event
31. econds The difference between the collision warnings shown in screens 1220 and 1222 and the collision warnings during ACC mode is that the ICU displays the set speed e g screen 1212 during ACC mode as long as the severity of the message has not increased to the point where the warning triangle dominates the display screen e g screen 1214 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 22 The ICU determines when to display failure related messages by monitoring the status of the adaptive cruise control system via the J1708 data link The collision warning system conducts periodic self checks e g every fifteen seconds to determine if it is operating properly It then sends a message on the J1939 data link indicating that the adaptive cruise control system is active every 100 msec as long as it has not detected any critical faults that might prevent proper operation In the event that the CWS ECU determines that it has a critical fault then it discontinues sending the message onto the J1939 data link and sends a fault message via the J1587 data link to the ICU for the driver display In response to the lack of heartbeat from the CWS ECU the engine ECU reverts back to normal throttle control rather than cruise control mode In response to the fault message on the data link the ICU displays message screen 1208 shown in FIG 12 indicating a radar cruise control failure The engine ECU is programmed to monit
32. er displays a graphical symbol to inform the driver that he she can press the acknowledgement key to remove the message In a case when the driver presses the acknowledgement key before the acknowledge symbol is displayed the ICU emits an error beep to provide the driver with feedback indicating that he she acknowledged the warning message too soon FIGS 5 8 illustrate the operation of the danger warning caution and note message levels in the message center When the message center detects a level one condition it displays the word DANGER on the first line of the display and a text message associated with the danger condition on the second line of the display e g STOP ENGINE QUICKLY as shown in FIG 5 Initially the ICU flashes the text message and generates beeping tones as reflected by the graphic 500 at the top of FIG 5 The graphical symbol 502 indicates to the driver that he she can disable the flashing and beeping by pressing the acknowledgement key 504 In response to actuation of the acknowledgment key the mes sage center transitions to the state shown in the rectangular box 506 at the bottom of FIG 5 The box reflects that the message center is no longer flashing or emitting beeping auditory tones At the danger level the message center cycles between a flashing and beeping message state 500 and a non flashing display without beeping in response to 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
33. f FIG 7 The level 3 message will repeat after a predeter mined period of time if the condition causing the message is still active For level four conditions the message center begins with a flashing message and a single beep at a lower frequency than the higher level warning messages This initial state is represented by the graphic 800 at the top of FIG 8 On the first line of the message display the message center displays the word NOTE and on the second line displays a text description of the warning condition such as LOW WIPER FLUID After a pre determined delay the message center transitions to a state 802 where the ICU adds a graphical US 6 289 332 B2 11 symbol of the acknowledgement key 804 to the display In response to the driver pressing the acknowledgement key 806 the message center transitions to a driver selectable default screen as shown by the rectangular box 808 on the left side of FIG 8 The message center then repeats after a pre determined period of time if the warning condition is still active The prioritization scheme implemented in the ICU enables it to integrate several messages and warning indi cators for a variety of different electronic subsystems and sensors onboard the vehicle When the manufacturer wishes to add a new message it assigns it a priority level within the prioritization scheme The ICU then determines when and how to display the warning message relative to other mes sages ba
34. he message center also displays danger ahead messages 1212 1214 in response to collision detection events from the collision warning system These messages are triggered as described above in connection with the integration of the ECU collision warning system into the ICU message center The message center displays the set speed along with the danger ahead message as shown in screen 1212 However as the urgency of the danger ahead message increases the ICU removes the set speed and displays a larger triangle to emphasize the increase in danger as shown in screen 1214 In the event that the adaptive cruise control system becomes inactive while the vehicle is in cruise control mode the message center displays a warning such as the one shown in display screen 1216 in FIG 12 to indicate to the driver that the radar cruise control is off At the same time the ICU turns off an indicator light 1218 to indicate that the vehicle is not in cruise control mode While the vehicle is in cruise control mode the collision warning system and the ICU revert back to the message scheme described above in connection with collision detection warnings In particular the message center displays progressively more intense warning messages such as the ones shown in screens 1220 and 1222 in FIG 12 when the collision warning system detects that the following distance has fallen below pre determined thresholds such as headway values of one and two s
35. illustrate the display screen of the message center for first second and third stage distance alerts from the collision warning system As the closing time between the truck and the obstacle reaches predetermined values associated with each stage the message center displays a progressively larger triangle and the words DANGER AHEAD The message center also displays the large triangle alert 904 in response to warning messages associated with the detection of a stationary or slow moving object When the collision warning system detects an object within a predetermined distance e g 350 feet but this object does not represent a significant threat of collision the message center displays a small triangle 906 in the default screen 910 of the message center In other words the visual indicator of the detection does not overwrite the current default screen but instead is combined with it In the example shown in FIG 9 the default screen displays the short term average fuel economy 912 a bar graph repre senting changes in fuel economy 914 and the odometer reading 916 This default screen is merely one example of the type of normal operating condition data that may be displayed with the object detection indicator 906 In an alternative implementation the visual indicator of a detected object may be designed to overwrite the current default screen Another collision warning message integrated into the message display is the creep ale
36. in 15 Slow moving Message object ahead Center plus 1 Sec DANGER Following AHEAD Distance 20 2 2 Sec 4 200 70 1800 Medium Following 1200 triangle in Distance Message Creep Alarm Center plus DANGER 25 AHEAD 3 3 Sec 2 200 140 1800 Small Following 1200 triangle in Distance Message Center plus DANGER 30 AHEAD 14 TABLE 3B Tone No Description O0 Side Sensor Alert D Read Pass 1 1sec following distance 2 sec following distance 3 Proximity Alert 4 Volume Change 5 Download Success Accident Reconstruction Freeze Confirmation 6 Built in Self Test Failure No Driver ID Download Fail Accident Reconstruction Freeze Failure ID Read Fail Low Voltage Tone Pattern Bold active Non bold pause Frequency of Tones in msec in Hz 96 96 32 96 96 2000 2400 0 2400 2000 80 80 80 80 1800 600 1800 600 80 80 1800 600 64 64 80 64 64 800 400 0 800 400 48 600 300 100 300 450 0 450 300 250 Table 4 provides more detailed description of an inte gration of features of the collision warning system into the message center M C and dash display TABLE 4 Integrated Format Display Feature Auditory Visual Control Sensing Unit Power On Drivers Card Status Volume Control Speaker Range control accident recorder System failure Adjustments in Lighting Vehicle detection 1 st dis stage ance alert 2
37. ited by the maximum message size as noted above Again in this implementation the ECUs communicate with each other over one of the data links 114 according to the SAE standard J1708 The standard describes methods for accessing the data link and constructing messages for trans fer over it It also defines a method for resource contention among the ECUs on the data link An ECU wishing to transmit data on the data link first waits for a lull in transmission of data on the data link In this particular implementation the length of the lull is 200 milliseconds After detecting this lull the ECU attempts to transmit its message The transmitter broadcasts its message onto the data link Each of the ECUs that operate as receivers on the data link will receive the message However receiv ers only act on a message if programmed to do so In some cases two or more transmitters may attempt to broadcast a message at one time giving rise to a collision To resolve a conflict among transmitters messages have a priority according to their message identifiers The MIDs of higher priority transmitters have a greater number of bits set at a logic level one When more than one message is broadcast at a time the more dominant message takes priority over lesser dominant messages Since a lower pri ority message is blocked by a higher priority message the transmitter of the lower priority message must wait and retransmit the message after another lull An
38. l in the particular frequency range In general auditory warnings should be prioritized based on the number of tones and the pauses between the tones In particular the greater the number of tones e g 1 2 4 7 and the shorter the pauses between the tones e g US 6 289 332 B2 17 14 msec 70 msec 140 msec the higher the priority Preferably the auditory tones for collision warnings should be distinguishable from the auditory tones used for other messages in the message center In the current implementation the non collision warnings have a notice ably lower frequency e g 560 840 Hz than the collision detection warnings e g 1200 1800 Hz In addition to allow the driver to better distinguish between different types of warnings the message center warnings use a repeating tone sequence of low to high while the collision warning tones use a tone sequence from high to low In the current implementation the CWS ECU communi cates visual messages to the ICU via the J1708 data bus according to the J1587 communication protocol The CWS ECU is wired to the speaker of the ICU and drives the speaker directly to generate auditory warnings In alternative implementations the CWS ECU could communicate mes sages for both auditory and visual warnings over the data link using the J1587 standard via discrete wiring or some combination of both To communicate instructions for visual warnings the CWS ECU broadcasts data bus
39. le default screen as illustrated by the rectangular box 612 on the left hand side of FIG 6 If the level 2 condition still persists the message center repeats the message after a pre determined period of time has elapsed i e the repeat time For level three conditions the message center progresses through similar states as in level two However as reflected by graphic 700 at the top of FIG 7 the initial message is less intense in that the pause between the tones is longer Initially the message center displays the word CAUTION on the first line of the display along with the symbol 702 of the acknowledgement key On the second line of the display the message center displays descriptive text associated with the warning condition such as TURN SIGNAL ON In response to the driver pressing the acknowledgement key 704 the message center transitions to a first state where the message is no longer flashing and beeping and the acknowl edgment symbol is no longer illuminated as shown in the rectangular box 706 on the right side of FIG 7 After a predetermined delay the message center transitions to a second state where the acknowledgement key is included on the display as shown in the rectangular box 708 at the bottom of FIG 7 In response to the driver pressing the acknowledgement key 710 a second time the message center transitions to a driver selectable default screen as shown by the rectangular box 712 on the left hand side o
40. lves are closed the engine ECU can compute the amount of fuel consumed by the engine The engine ECU calculates the fuel flow rate from the dwell of the injection pulse and the engine speed The engine ECU measures the vehicle s road speed A speed control senses the speed of rotation of the tail shaft of the truck and converts it into road speed A hall effect sensor located on the tail shaft generates an analog signal com prised of a series of pulses representing the rotation rate of the engine The engine ECU is programmed to read this digital value and derive the instantaneous speed in miles per hour The engine ECU also monitors a variety of other vehicle operating parameters including RPM engine torque and throttle position These parameters are transferred to the ICU 100 over the data link 114 The transmission ECU 104 controls the truck s transmis sion The specific type of ECU varies depending on the transmission vendor and the type of transmission e g manual automatic or automated mechanical transmission Examples of transmission systems that are controlled via ECUs include the Eaton Fuller AutoShift heavy duty automated truck transmission and the Meritor SureShift transmission system The transmission ECU receives driver instructions via a driver interface in the cabin of the truck One possible implementation of the driver interface is a column mounted shift control 150 that communicates shift command inputs to a tra
41. messages over the J1708 data link FIG 10 illustrates a table listing the display message and the corresponding data bus message used to instruct the ICU to display it The messages are listed in order of priority If the ICU receives a message with higher priority than the one it is currently displaying it displays the higher priority message as soon as it receives the message from the data bus As noted above the priority scheme implemented in the ICU is different than the priority of message transmission on the J1587 data link The internal priority controlled within the ICU is reflected by the order ing of the messages in the left most column The J1587 message priority is noted in the right most column Message 22 in the table shown in FIG 10 is the data required to display the following text message on the message center Cruise Set to xxMPH Headway Set to eee 5 where eee is the headway data in ASCII characters example 3 0 to be used in data bus message 219 226 8 48 8 2 16 140 e e e chksum Following is a description of data bus message 22 it applies to other messages as well 219 226 8 48 8 2 16 140 e e e chksum 219 MID CWS ECU 226 PID Text Message to Display 8 Number of bytes following 48 Status Character 1 48 decimal 00110000 binary Bit 8 0 Use selected language Bit 7 0 Message OK Bit 6 0 Predefined text Bit 5 1 Display buffered message Bit 4 0 No sound sound is controlled by the EVT 300 direc
42. n of collision warning messages into the system s message scheme A collision warning system communicates collision warning conditions to the instrumentation control unit The 10 15 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 instrumentation control unit determines whether to override the current message with a collision warning alert based on the relative priority of the alert and the current message The collision warning alerts use a combination of visual and auditory warnings that grow progressively more intense as the degree of danger of a collision danger increases This approach eases the driver s workload because the collision alerts are integrated into the instrumentation control unit s message center which provides a centralized source of information to the driver Yet another aspect of the invention is the integration of adaptive cruise control messages into the system s central ized message scheme The instrumentation control unit prioritizes adaptive cruise control messages in a similar manner as collision warning messages In particular it determines whether to override the current message based on the relative priority of the current message and a new adaptive cruise control message In one implementation for example the instrumentation control unit manages the dis play of three types of adaptive cruise control messages function set messages system failure messages and danger ahead messages It generate
43. nd Auditory Signals for Message Center Pause Be Fre Prior Number tween quency ity Warning of Length Tones of Level Description Tones msec msec Tones DANGER 3 2 Sec Following Distance 4 200 70 1800 Creep Alarm 1200 4 3 Sec Following Distance 2 200 140 1800 1200 5 Message Center 4 200 70 560 840 WARNING 6 Message Center 2 200 140 560 840 CAUTION 7 Message Center 1 300 n a 450 NOTE MESSAGE inde Side Object Detection may 3 100 14 2400 pen be given with any other 2000 dent warning 1600 level Message Center Key 1 300 n a 250 press not available or improper use tone The priority level specified in the Table refers to the priority of a message from the perspective of the ICU In particular the ICU is programmed to arbitrate among mes sages of different priority according to these levels This priority level scheme is separate from the priority of mes sages in the J1587 protocol The J1587 protocol implements a priority scheme for controlling which messages take precedence when transmitted concurrently on the data link While the above table provides specific implementation details it is possible to deviate from these specifications without departing from the scope of the invention A number of additional design details are worth noting keeping in mind that these details are not necessary for implementation of the invention First the auditory signal should be at least ten dB above in cab sound leve
44. nsmission ECU For more information on this type of driver interface see co pending patent application Ser No 09 258 649 entitled Lever Assembly for an Electronically Controllable Vehicle Transmission filed Feb 26 1999 by Paul Menig Michael von Mayenburg Nasser Zamani Joseph Loczi and Jason Stanford which is hereby incorpo rated by reference The anti lock brake ECU 106 controls the anti lock brakes on the truck Examples of anti lock brake systems controlled via an ECU include the WABCO ABS from Meritor WABCO Vehicle Control Systems Bendix AntiLock Systems from Allied Signal Truck Brake Systems Company and Bosch AntiLock Brake Systems The collision warning ECU 108 controls a collision warning system on the truck The collision warning system CWS includes a front sensor 140 side sensor 142 side sensor display 144 and switches 128 e g an ON OFF switch volume control and collision warning range adaptive cruise headway control A programmed CPU on the CWS ECU 108 receives information about nearby objects from the front sensor 140 and side sensor 142 computes collision warning conditions and communicates warnings to the ICU 100 Based on information from the front sensor 140 the CWS ECU 108 measures the range distance closing speed and relative speed to vehicles and other objects in its field of view For radar controlled systems the front sensor 140 is a radar antenna Other types of sensors may be used as well
45. nt wherein the instrumentation control unit displays a default screen and selectively overrides the default screen with prioritized displayable vehicle messages in response to predetermined operating conditions detected via the electronic control units wherein the displayable vehicle messages indicate the vehicle operating conditions requiring action have occurred and wherein the prioritized displayable vehicle messages overriding the default screen are organized into levels of importance such that displayable vehicle messages from a more important level override displayable vehicle messages from a less important level a more important level indicates a more serious condition when more than one displayable vehicle message is activated to override the default screen arbitration resolves conflicts among messages of different priority overriding the default screen according to the levels of the messages and each level of importance is associ ated with a different visual display protocol and a different corresponding auditory signal 11 The system of claim 10 wherein collision detection events are associated with a subset of the levels and each level in the subset is associated with a different visual display that indicates relative importance of a collision warning with respect to the other levels 12 The system of claim 11 wherein the visual display for each level of collision warning is associated with a displayed graphical warning
46. olume control used in the collision warning system to adjust the volume for auditory warnings In implementations where this switch is wired to the CWS ECU the CWS receives the input and formulates a message to the ICU instructing it to display a message showing the volume level Similar functionality may be achieved in an implementation where the volume switch is wired to the ICU directly In this case the ICU displays the volume level in response to direct inputs from the volume control Finally there is a headway control switch which enables the driver to set the headway In implementations where the headway control is wired to the CWS ECU the CWS receives the input and formulates a message to the ICU for the J1708 data link instructing it to display a message showing the selected headway Similar functionality may be achieved in an implementation where the headway control is wired to the ICU directly In this case the ICU displays the selected headway in response to direct inputs from the headway control and formulates a message to the CWS ECU for the J1708 informing it of the headway setting The method for communicating driver input to the ACC system varies depending on the implementation In the implementation that integrates the EVT 300 collision warn ing system the switches are wired into the CWS ECU and the CWS communicates instructions for visual messages to the ICU In the implementation that integrates the ADC distance con
47. on the input device is a ten key keypad The display device 222 provides a textual and graphical output to the driver The current implementation of the display device is a two by 20 vacuum fluorescent display The ICU used in this implementation is manufactured by Joseph Pollak of Boston Mass for Freightliner Corporation and is available as a replacement part from Freightliner Corporation Example of the Dash Layout FIG 3 is a diagram illustrating the position of the ICU s display 346 and an input device 344 among the instruments and controls on a dash 322 in one implementation The dash 322 shown in FIG 3 includes a number of gauges including for example an analog speedometer 324 and tachometer 326 a fuel gauge 328 etc Instruments located at the dash include a parking brake switches 330 332 heating ventilation and air conditioning HVAC controls 334 340 etc In addition to these discrete gauges instruments and indicator lights the dash also includes the user interface for the control unit which is referred to as the instrument control unit in this implementation The user interface of the instrument control unit includes a display device 342 and an input device 344 both located on the dash The display device 346 in the current implementation is two by 20 vacuum fluorescent display Alternative imple mentations are also possible such as a Liquid Crystal Dis play LCD or raster display device The input devic
48. operating conditions are detected These operating conditions include for example park brake on while vehicle is moving high coolant temperature low oil pressure air filter clog turn signal on etc The ICU generates and controls the display of these overwrite screens according to a prioritization scheme In the current implementation for example there are four levels of alerts Level 1 Danger Level 2 Warning Level 3 Caution and Level 4 Note or Message A Level 1 warning is a message intended to evoke an immediate reaction from the driver and is used for extremely serious problems A Level 2 warning indicates a very serious problem and also requires immediate reaction from the driver Level 3 warnings indicate a serious problem and require action soon Level 4 warnings consist of status information and are intended to require action only when convenient The driver can acknowledge an alert by pressing the acknowledgement key in the keypad of the ICU Each of the four levels of alert is associated with a predetermined message protocol including a visual and US 6 289 332 B2 9 audio indicator The following table provides an example of the message protocols associated with the four warning levels When a priority overwrite message is activated the ICU displays a flashing message and emits a sequence of beeps according to the following protocols TABLE 1 AUDITORY CODING Pause VISUAL between COD
49. or the status of the ACC system when the ACC system is installed on the vehicle The engine ECU monitors the status of the adaptive cruise control system via the J1939 databus The collision warning system is powered on when the ignition is switched on After a self check the ACC system starts transmitting the heartbeat The engine ECU is programmed to check whether the heartbeat is present on the databus at ignition startup If the heartbeat is not present at that time the engine ECU disables its ACC mode and returns to throttle mode After power up the engine ECU continually monitors for the heartbeat and is programmed to assume that the ACC is no longer functioning if it does not receive a heartbeat for over a pre determined period of time e g 350 msec In this case it disables the cruise control and returns to throttle control To enable conventional cruise control when ACC fails the driver can toggle the cruise control ON OFF switch twice within ten seconds Once this sequence is accomplished the engine ECU enables conventional cruise control If the ACC heartbeat comes back to the databus then the engine ECU will allow ACC operation but only at the next cruise control power ON cycle This avoids the possibility of the engine being in conventional cruise control mode and adaptive cruise control being reactivated without driver notification and acknowledgement The adaptive cruise control messages are integrated into the ICU s me
50. produce a flicker in the ICU display Another feature relating to the integration of collision warnings into the message center is the ability to select a driver for the purpose of logging events on a per driver basis The ICU provides a display that enables the driver to enter a driver identification ID and is programmed to broadcast a message on the data bus including the driver ID The CWS ECU and other ECUs are programmed to store the driver ID and record it along with events that they monitor In particular the current implementation of the ICU broadcasts the driver ID in PID 507 of the J1587 protocol in response to a request from another ECU e g the CWS ECU using MID 219 In the current implementation the ICU prompts the driver to enter the driver ID during the ignition sequence During the ignition sequence the message center displays screens that prompt the driver to accept the currently active driver ID or to select a new one FIG 11 illustrates an example of the message center displays 1100 1102 used to prompt the driver for the ID The driver can either select the active driver ID by pressing the set key in response to the first screen or select a new driver by pressing an arrow key as shown After the driver presses the acknowledgement key at either screen 1100 1102 the message center continues with the ignition sequence as shown in the third screen 1104 in FIG 11 In response to the selection of the driver ID the ICU
51. r auditory and visual messages to the ICU via the J1939 data link The driver provides ACC related input via dash controls in the cabin These controls include cruise control switches such as an ON OFF mode switch and a SET RESUME 15 25 35 40 50 55 60 65 20 switch The ON OFF mode switch enables the driver to turn on and off cruise control and in some implementations switch between ACC and conventional cruise control i e cruise control without headway control The operation of this control switch varies depending on the implementation For example in one implementation ACC is always active when the driver turns on the cruise control The only exception is failure of ACC in which case the system reverts to conventional cruise control operation In an alter native implementation the driver can switch between no cruise control OFF adaptive cruise control Adaptive Cruise and conventional cruise control Cruise In this case the ON OFF mode switch is a three position switch with positions for Adaptive Cruise Cruise and OFF The SET RESUME switch is similar to conventional cruise control in that it allows the driver to enter the set speed and resume cruise control operation When the driver actuates this switch the cruise control within the engine ECU communicates the set speed to the CWS ECU and the ICU via the J1708 data link Another ACC related switch is a volume control which is similar to the v
52. riding mes sages to display only the overriding message with the highest priority level 22 The method of claim 21 wherein each priority level is associated with a different number of beeping tones indi cating relative importance of the level relative to the other levels UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO 6 289 332 B2 Page 1 of 1 DATED September 11 2001 INVENTOR S Paul M Menig et al It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent is hereby corrected as shown below Column 1 Line 8 Kim should read Kirn Signed and Sealed this Ninth Day of September 2003 JAMES E ROGAN Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
53. rt see screen 908 FIG 9 The message center displays the creep alert screen 908 when the collision warning system detects a object less than a predetermined distance ahead e g 15 feet and the truck is creeping e g the truck speed is less than 2 MPH In addition to integrating collision warnings into the message center the current implementation also integrates control switches for the collision warning system into the dash of the vehicle FIG 3 shows an example of these controls which include a volume control 350 an ON OFF control 352 and range control 354 The volume control allows the driver to adjust the volume of auditory warnings while the range control allows the driver to control the range of the forward object sensor Both the volume and range controls are implemented with rocker switches in the current implementation The ON OFF button is implemented with a back lit push button In addition to the visual warnings illustrated in FIG 9 the message center generates auditory warnings as well Tables 3A and 3B below provide a brief summary of message protocol codings in alternative implementations of the ICU 13 US 6 289 332 B2 TABLE 3A Auditory Coding 5 Pause Be Fre Number tween quency Tone Warning of Length Tones of Visual No Description Tones msec msec Tones Coding 10 0 side 3 100 14 1400 red LED in detection 2000 right dash 1600 display 1 Stationary 7 200 14 1800 Large object 1200 triangle
54. s a more serious condition when more than one displayable vehicle message is activated to override the default screen conflicts are resolved based on the priority of the displayable vehicle messages and each level of importance is associated with a different visual display protocol and a different corresponding auditory signal 2 The system of claim 1 wherein each visual display protocol defines a predetermined display duration and repeat cycle defining when and how long the visual display asso ciated with a prioritized message overrides the default screen 3 The system of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation control unit is in communication with an input device that enables an operator to acknowledge a prioritized message and the instrumentation control unit modifies the prioritized message to indicate that the message has been acknowl edged 4 The system of claim 1 wherein the instrumentation control unit displays a visual message indicating the impor tance level of a prioritized message along with descriptive text describing event specific information about the event that triggered the message for each of the prioritized mes sages 5 The system of claim 1 wherein the default screen is driver selectable via an input device in communication with the instrumentation control unit 6 The system of claim 1 wherein the default screen displays operating information about the vehicle including a fuel economy indicator or an odometer re
55. s function set messages in response to user input such as when the driver sets a desired headway for the adaptive cruise control system It generates system failure messages in response to detecting a failure of some aspect of the adaptive cruise control system Finally it generates danger ahead messages in response to collision warning events that occur while the vehicle is in adaptive cruise control mode Another aspect of the invention is the integration of transmission messages into the system s centralized mes sage scheme The instrumentation control unit integrates the display of transmission messages such as the current gear and mode of the transmission by displaying this information along with the display of a default screen or an alert screen Further features of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of electronic subsystems and their interconnection with an instrumentation control unit FIG 2 is a diagram illustrating the instrumentation con trol unit in FIG 1 FIG 3 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle dash and the positioning of the instrumentation control unit s display on the dash FIG 4 is a diagram illustrating the keypad for the instru mentation control unit FIGS 5 7 are diagrams illustrating the operation of four levels of prioritized mes
56. sage displays FIG 5 illustrates the operation of the highest priority alert a DANGER alert FIG 6 illustrates the operation of the next highest priority alert WARNING alert FIG 7 illustrates the operation of the next highest priority alert CAUTION alert Finally FIG 8 illustrates the operation of the lowest priority alert a NOTE alert FIG 9 is a diagram illustrating message displays of collision detection warnings integrated into the message center of the instrumentation control unit shown in FIGS 1 and 3 FIG 10 is a table illustrating a list of collision detection display messages and their corresponding priority and data bus message format US 6 289 332 B2 3 FIG 11 is a diagram illustrating screens in the message center for identifying the driver to the system for the purpose of maintaining a driver specific data record of operating events including collision detection events FIG 12 is a diagram illustrating screens in the message center for reporting adaptive cruise control information FIG 13 is a diagram illustrating how transmission infor mation is integrated into the message center DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION System Implementation Overview FIG 1 is a block diagram illustrating the system archi tecture of electronic control units in an implementation installed in a truck The system architecture includes a number of electronic control units ECUs 100 110 inter connected via da
57. sed on its priority and a set of priority rules Table 2 below gives an example of the type of warning messages that are integrated into the prioritization scheme TABLE 2 LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 DANGER WARNING CAUTION RECIRC MODE PARK BRAKE HIGH TURN ENGAGED OFF COOLANT SIGNAL ON STALE AIR IN 20 TEMP MIN DANGER WARNING PROVIDE INCOMING PARK BRAKE LOW OIL FRESH AIR MESSAGE ON PRESSURE STOP text RECIRC MAX A C WARNING CAUTION LOW VOLTAGE CHANGE AIR FILTER WARNING AIR FILTER CLOGGED In the current implementation the ICU is programmed to adhere to the following priority rules First higher priorities override lower priorities such that a danger condition has the highest priority followed by warning caution and finally note message When more than one monitored condition is active at a given time for messages of the same priority level the most recent message overrides the older message Dan ger messages that occur within the same detection period in the ICU alternate every second In the current implementation the detection period is 200 milliseconds The ICU manages warning messages that occur in the same detection period by showing one warning or caution for at least fifteen seconds and then switching to the second warning or caution Finally the ICU displays messages that are received in the same detection period sequentially Integration of Collision Warning System into the Message Center The ICU and its mess
58. sion warning alerts for following distances of two and three seconds and the creep alarm The rationale for ranking level 1 danger alerts ahead of these collision alerts is that severe in vehicle dangers take precedence over less immediate external threats Level two warning messages and level three caution messages may override collision warnings for two and three second following distances if those collision warnings have been displayed for at least fifteen seconds The rationale is that the driver has most probably chosen a particular dis tance to the vehicle ahead and intends not to change the following distance In this case the driver is aware of the situation and a level two or level three message override the collision warning conditions A summary of the priority assignments for the message center and collision detection warnings is provided below in Table 5 Note that Table 5 represents only an example of one possible implementation Alternative codings are possible such as the auditory codings shown in Table 3B TABLE 5 Overview of Priority Assignments and Auditory Signals for Message Center Pause Be Fre Prior Number tween quency ity Warning of Length Tones of Level Description Tones msec msec Tones 1 Stationary Object 7 200 14 1800 Slow Moving Object 1200 1 Sec Following Distance 2 Message Center 7 200 14 560 840 25 B 50 55 60 65 TABLE 5 continued Overview of Priority Assignments a
59. ssage center in a similar manner as the collision warning messages Table 5 above illustrates the priority of collision warning messages in the context of the ICU s prioritization scheme which includes danger warning and caution alerts When the CWS ECU detects collision warn ing events during operation of the ACC system it sends messages to the ICU communicating these events The ICU treats these messages as having the same priority as in the case where the ACC is not active When the ICU detects a condition from the data link indicating that the ACC system has failed or has become inactive it generates a warning level message see e g priority level 5 in Table 5 showing the priority of a warning level message relative to colli sion alerts and other ICU messages Finally in response to user input relating to the ACC system the ICU displays function set messages such as the time headway setting see e g messages 6 13 in FIG 10 and the alert volume see e g messages 14 21 in FIG 10 When the driver changes enters the set speed or headway the ICU displays the set speed and headway information as illustrated in screen 1200 FIG 12 The ICU also displays screen 1200 while in ACC mode in response to detecting that the vehicle US 6 289 332 B2 23 speed from the engine ECU has dropped an increment of 5 MPH below the set speed FIG 10 shows this message as message number 22 Note that the ICU prioritizes this
60. symbol that grows progressively larger to reflect progressively more dangerous collision warning con ditions 13 The system of claim 1 including an electronic control unit for controlling adaptive cruise control and the instru mentation control unit displays visual messages associated with adaptive cruise control events 14 The system of claim 13 wherein adaptive cruise control events are associated with different levels of priori US 6 289 332 B2 27 tized messages depending on relative importance of each adaptive cruise control event 15 The system of claim 14 wherein the adaptive cruise control events include an operator input for setting a head way parameter 16 The system of claim 14 wherein the adaptive cruise control events include an operator input for setting a vehicle set speed parameter 17 The system of claim 1 including a transmission electronic control unit and the instrumentation control unit displays visual messages indicating a selected gear 18 The system of claim 17 wherein the instrumentation control unit displays visual messages indicating a selected driving mode 19 A method for providing an integrated audio visual message system for a vehicle comprising receiving messages regarding predetermined events detected in one or more electronic control units displaying a default screen and selectively overriding the default screen with prioritized displayable messages in response to predetermined even
61. ta links 112 114 An instrumentation con trol unit ICU 100 located in the dash of the vehicle provides an integrated message center for other subsystems in the vehicle including the engine ECU 102 transmission ECU 104 anti lock brake ECU 106 and collision warning ECU 108 In addition the system includes a data logging unit 116 which monitors messages communicated over the data link and records operating data in response to detecting events The integrated message center of the ICU 100 in FIG 1 includes a visual display 118 and audio transducer 1 a speaker 120 for generating audio visual alerts The visual display includes a display screen 122 as well as indicator lights e g 124a c The driver can enter input to the ICU via an input device 126 e g a keypad and in some implementations via discrete switches 128 e g rocker switches push buttons Switches and other dash controls that impact the operation of the ICU may be wired to the ICU or to other ECUs or both For example a collision warning system and or adaptive cruise control system may include input switches located on the dash These switches can be wired directly to the collision warning ECU 108 which in turn communicates input from the switches to the ICU Conversely other switches may be wired directly to the ICU which in turn communicates input from the switches to another ECU via the data link 114 The engine ECU 100 shown in FIG 1 controls and
62. ted the principles of our invention with reference to a specific implementation and possible alternatives it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from its principles Accordingly we claim all modifications as may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims We claim 1 An integrated message system for a vehicle comprising two or more electronic control units detecting vehicle operating conditions requiring action an instrumentation control unit in communication with the one or more electronic control units the instrumen tation control unit including a visual display for dis playing displayable vehicle messages and an audio transducer for generating auditory signals wherein the instrumentation control unit displays a default screen and selectively overrides the default screen with prioritized displayable vehicle messages in response to detection of predetermined vehicle operating condi tions via the electronic control units US 6 289 332 B2 25 wherein the displayable vehicle messages indicate the vehicle operating conditions requiring action have been detected and wherein the prioritized displayable vehicle messages overriding the default screen are organized into levels of importance such that displayable vehicle messages from a more important level override displayable vehicle messages from a less important level a more important level indicate
63. tly Bit 3 0 No acknowledgement Bit 2 0 Do not expect acknowledgement from operator Bit 1 0 Do not send acknowledgement 8 Status Character 2 8 decimal 00001000 binary Bits 8 4 00001 defined as 1 Second actually is less than 1 second 10 15 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 60 18 Bits 3 1 000 Priority 0 2 Message row line number second line of display 16 Message column number 16th column 140 Proprietary message defined as the MID of the device that has the display MID 140 ICU e e e Proprietary message defined as the ASCII value for the headway ex 3 0 For more information on the message format see Appen dix C of the J1587 standard In managing the output of collision warning messages the ICU follows a set of predetermined guidelines For each message in the table of FIG 10 the message center displays the corresponding message for a predetermined period of time namely 1 0 second To display the message a longer period of time the CWS ECU sends the same message again after 0 5 seconds and continues re sending at this rate Upon receiving a data bus message the ICU sets a timer to 1 0 second and continues to display the message as long as the timer has not elapsed The ICU resets the timer to a full 0 75 seconds upon receiving a new message This approach for re sending messages and re setting the timer with each new message ensures that the delay between transmissions of messages will not
64. trol system the switches are wired directly into the ICU the ICU communicates headway parameters to the distance control system The ICU provides three microprocessor controlled indi cator lights for ACC functions located near the message center One light indicates whether the adaptive cruise control is active The ICU detects this condition from the data link via messages from the engine ECU and CWS ECU The condition for this active light is no active fault from the CWS ECU MID 219 battery voltage PID 168 is normal in the CWS ECU and the cruise control is active PID 85 from the engine ECU MID 128 Asecond light indicates that the ACC system has detected a target The ICU activates this light for preprogrammed duration e g 200 ms on receipt of a pre determined message e g 219 226 6 48 8 1 1 140 4 CHKSUM from the CWS ECU on the data bus Finally the third light indicates that the ACC system has failed from the CWS ECU The ICU detects this condition US 6 289 332 B2 21 by detecting an active fault or no battery voltage PID 168 signal from the CWS ECU MID 219 In this implementation the battery voltage signal from the CWS ECU acts as a heartbeat indicating that the CWS ECU is operating In addition to the ACC related indicator lights the ICU also displays visual messages on its display screen In the current implementation the ACC related display screens fall into three categories function set messages
65. tronic control units wherein the displayable alphanumeric alerts indicate vehicle operating conditions requiring action provide information relating to the vehicle operating conditions without user intervention and are associated with the predetermined events detected in the electronic control units and wherein the prioritized alphanumeric alerts overriding the default screen are organized into levels of importance such that alphanumeric alerts from a more important level override alerts from a less important level when more than one prioritized alphanumeric alert is acti vated to override the default screen conflicts are resolved based on the priorities of the prioritized alpha numeric alerts a more important level indicates a more serious condition of the vehicle and each level is associated with a different visual display protocol and a different corresponding auditory alert 21 A method for presenting messages on a display unit in a vehicle the method comprising displaying a default message on the display unit responsive to detecting vehicle operating conditions acti vating at least two out of a plurality of overriding messages indicating different detected vehicle operat ing conditions wherein the overriding messages are prioritized in a multi level priority scheme and when a plurality of overriding messages have been activated resolving conflicts between the overriding messages via the priority levels of the over
66. ts detected in the elec tronic control units wherein the displayable messages indicate vehicle oper ating conditions requiring action provide alerts for the vehicle operating conditions without user intervention and are associated with the predetermined events detected in the electronic control units and wherein the prioritized displayable messages overriding the default screen are organized into levels of impor tance such that displayable messages from a more important level override alerts from a less important level a more important level indicates a more serious condition of the vehicle arbitration resolves conflicts among messages overriding the default screen accord ing to the levels of the messages and each level is associated with a different visual display protocol and a different corresponding auditory message 20 An integrated audio visual message system for a vehicle comprising two or more electronic control units an instrumentation control unit in communication with the two or more electronic control units the instrumen tation control unit including a visual display for dis 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 28 playing alphanumeric alerts and an audio transducer for generating auditory alerts wherein the instrumentation control unit displays a default screen and selectively overrides the default screen with prioritized alphanumeric alerts in response to predeter mined events detected in the elec
67. ul design of displays and indi cator lights for each new feature the driver can easily become overwhelmed by the displays associated with these new products As such the driver may ignore or worse become distracted by the displays SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides an audio visual message system for a vehicle that receives information about operating conditions from a variety of sources throughout the vehicle and generates visual and auditory outputs via a centralized message center The system includes an instrumentation control unit that manages the output of alerts through a visual display and audio transducer The instrumentation control unit receives information about operating conditions from other electronic control units in the vehicle In response the instrumentation control unit determines the appropriate messages to generate based on a general extend able prioritization scheme The system prioritizes alerts based on their relative impor tance It organizes alerts into levels of importance where each level has a corresponding visual and auditory alert that distinguishes it from other levels When an event is detected that triggers an alert the instrumentation control unit over rides a default screen and plays the corresponding alert When more than one alert is activated the instrumentation control unit resolves conflicts based on the priority of each alert Another aspect of the invention is the integratio
68. which is hereby incorporated by reference The CWS ECU 108 in the current implementation is part of the EVT 300 collision warning system from Eaton VORAD Technologies L L C of San Diego Calif The ACC functionality is part of the SMARTCRUISE adaptive cruise control system from Eaton VORAD Technologies Other collision warning and adaptive cruise control systems may be used in the alternative One example of an alterna tive system is the A D C distance control system from A D C ADC adaptive cruise control systems include radar based sensors and infrared based sensors The engine brake ECU controls engine braking by con trolling the discharge of gases from the engine s cylinders While shown as a functionally separate unit the engine brake ECU is typically incorporated into the engine ECU The Data Links The implementation shown in FIG 1 uses two separate data links 112 114 1 a data link 114 designed according to SAE J1708 a standard for serial data communication between microcomputer systems in heavy duty vehicle applications and 2 a data link 112 designed according to the SAE J1939 Serial Control and Communication Vehicle Network standard While the current implementation prima rily uses the J1708 data link as a shared communication path between the ICU and the other ECUs it also uses dedicated wiring connections directly between some ECUs and sen sors to convey information to the ICU For alternative implementations it
69. y tone indicating that it is unavailable In the current implementation for example the ICU generates a pure square wave tone at 250 Hz for 300 msec This particular tone was selected because it is not easily masked in the cabin environment and is used with other systems to represent an action that is inappropriate not allowed or requires different input The same tone is used to signal an unavailable mode selection e g moving the mode switch to reverse at high way speed Instead of a single tone the ICU repeats this tone at periodic intervals until the selector has been put back into the appropriate position In addition the message center generates a level 2 warning message with the corresponding auditory tone and display protocol CONCLUSION While the invention is described with reference to a specific implementation it is important to emphasize that the invention is not limited to the specific design details of this implementation The message display integrates mes sage displays from a variety of different types and models of ECUs and other sensors onboard the vehicle The format of the data does not have to be in the form of serial data from a serial data link as in a system built for a J1708 data link Instead the data can be obtained from another type of data bus or through discrete wiring The software implementation can vary as well The pre cise logic used to prioritize messages can vary Having described and illustra

Integrated message display system for a vehicle

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